The Sean Hannity Show

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the radio program. For its host, see Sean Hannity. For the television program on the Fox News Channel, see Hannity.
The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show logo.svg
GenreConservative talk
Running timeWeekdays: 3 hours (ET) (3:00 pm–6:00 pm)[1]
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
Home station
SyndicatesPremiere Networks
TV adaptationsHannity
Hosted bySean Hannity
AnnouncerScott Shannon
Recording studioNew York City
Original releaseca. 1989 – present
Opening theme"Comin' to Your City"
Websitehannity.com
Podcasthttps://hannity.com/podcasts/

The Sean Hannity Show is a right wing conservative talk radio show hosted by Sean Hannity. The program is broadcast live every weekday, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET. The show is produced in the New York City studios of radio station WOR and is sometimes transmitted via ISDN from Hannity's home in Centre Island, New York.[2][3] The show is now syndicated by Premiere Networks,[4] a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, on terrestrial radio affiliates across the United States, on Sirius XM Patriot channel 125.[5] and on American Forces Network's AFN 360 PowerTalk and The Voice channels.[6] The primary focus of the program is the politics of the day, with interviews of liberal and conservative commentators. The Sean Hannity Show is the second most-listened to commercial radio show with millions of listeners, behind only The Rush Limbaugh Show which ended its run following Limbaugh's death in 2021.[7]

Syndication[]

Show host Sean Hannity in 2004

Syndication began through the ABC Radio Networks on September 10, 2001, one day before the September 11 attacks.[8] The program is carried on WSB in Atlanta, Georgia (second and third hours delayed three hours),[9] KFYI in Phoenix, Arizona,[10] WOKV in Jacksonville, Florida,[11] WDTK in Detroit,[12] WCBM in Baltimore, Maryland[13] and WKRC in Cincinnati, Ohio,[14] among others. The show is carried in most markets by a Citadel Broadcasting radio station; the show is owned by Citadel Broadcasting, which acquired the ABC Radio networks in 2006.[15]

Hannity's first version of his radio show was in the late 1980s as a volunteer broadcaster for the University of California, Santa Barbara's radio station, KCSB-FM. He was dismissed from the station in 1989, following a controversial interview about AIDS in which he insulted a lesbian caller.[16] Later, Hannity would bring his program to WVNN in Athens, Alabama[17] and NewsRadio WGST in Atlanta, Georgia.[18]

Hannity is the second highest rated talk program, only behind The Rush Limbaugh Show, which leads into Hannity on many stations. The show is carried on 530 stations.[19] He is a three-time consecutive winner of Radio & Records National Talk Show Host of The Year Award from 2003-2005.[20] In 2004, Hannity signed a US$25 million, five-year contract extension with ABC Radio to continue the show through 2009;[21] however, ABC Radio's acquisition by Citadel Broadcasting on June 12, 2007 gave Hannity an opportunity to leave one year after the acquisition.[22]

In July 2008, it was announced that Hannity's show would be co-managed by Citadel's ABC Radio Networks and Premiere Radio Networks, a division of Clear Channel Communications. Premiere Radio would handle advertising sales and distribution to all non-Citadel owned stations, including Clear Channel-owned stations. Hannity already had agreements with approximately 80 Clear Channel stations in a separate agreement. The two networks would cooperate for special circumstances.[23]

Radio show[]

The show primarily features a mixture of monologues, conversations with callers, and interviews with those in the news.

Content[]

Hannity's frequent political targets include terrorism, illegal immigration,[24] weapon of mass destruction in Iraq,[25] and the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. He frequently characterizes American liberalism as a movement more in line with democratic socialism than classical liberalism.[26]

The show frequently features "man on the street" interviews (Man On The Street Thursday), where New York pedestrians are stopped and questioned about politics.[27] Hannity will sometimes debate the answers with participants.

The show also features the occasional inclusion of behind the scenes staff, including producers Elisha,[28] Lynda,[29] "Sweet Baby" James,[30] and animal-rights proponent "Flipper". "Gregster" is the engineer who typically plays the audio clips.

The show used to close daily with the segment "Trash the Lines" where calls were taken unscreened, with callers given approximately five seconds to say whatever they wanted. The segment, which had its roots in a late-night show Hannity hosted earlier in his career, has been used less frequently since the summer of 2006.

Following the election victory of Democrat Barack Obama, Hannity has hyperbolically referred to his show as "conservatism in exile",[31] "the conservative resistance," "the conservative underground."

Opening themes[]

Each hour of The Sean Hannity Show used to open with the following musical pieces, in order:

1. The introduction (iterated twice) spliced with the second singing of the refrain of "Independence Day" performed by Martina McBride.[32]

2. Carmina Burana (Orff),[33] over which announcer Scott Shannon traditionally proclaimed, "From coast to coast, from border to border, from sea to shining sea, Sean Hannity is on!"[34] The quote usually spilled over into the opening riff of "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor and Carmina Burana is also used in "Glory" & "Jackass: The Movie".

However, neither Carmina Burana nor Shannon's traditional voiceover is now in use. The show has frequently changed its opening voiceover to reflect current events.

3. The instrumental opening to "The Way It Is" performed by Bruce Hornsby and the Range, over which Hannity begins speaking. This has not been used in recent broadcasts.

Occasionally on the third hour, "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor would replace both Carmina Burana and "The Way It Is", with Shannon announcing, "Overlooking Madison Square Garden, deep in the heart of midtown Manhattan, the last beacon of truth in a troubled time! This is The Sean Hannity Show and the world-famous Final Hour Free-for-All!"

Sometimes during election years, an additional announcement was made after Carmina Burana, proclaiming the edition to be "a special edition of The Sean Hannity Show: The Battle for America," featuring a countdown until Election Day. On Election Day 2007 (November 6, 2007), the "special edition" message counted down the days that remained until the 2008 Iowa Caucus (January 3, 2008), "Super Tuesday" (February 5, 2008), and Election Day (November 4, 2008).

In mid-2014, "Independence Day" was retired and replaced by "This Is How We Roll" by Florida Georgia Line as the show's theme song.

As of November 2020, the show's opening sequence is:

  1. The beginning of "Comin' to Your City" by Big & Rich until the end of the first chorus
  2. A variety of quotes (which change every other day, depending on current events) by various political figures
  3. Scott Shannon announcing, "Freedom is back in style. Welcome to the revolution."
  4. The lines "Yeah, we're coming to your city / gonna play our guitars and sing you a country song" from "Comin' to Your City"
  5. Shannon again, saying, "Sean Hannity, the new Sean Hannity Show. More behind-the-scenes information on breaking news and more bold inspiring solutions for America!"
    1. Prior to the third hour, Shannon adds, "Stay tuned for our final news roundup and information overload."

The "Hate-Hannity Hotline"[]

Hannity provides a phone line for people who disagree with him to call in.[35] He plays some of these clips at the beginning of the bottom half-hour segment of the show. He usually supplements these clips with the explanation that he is performing a service to the American people by "Absorbing the hate and bitterness of the angry left so that they will be nicer to you when you meet them along your way." This has appeared with less frequency in the radio show, though on the revamped Hannity on the Fox News Channel, this has become a regular segment[36] (usually airing on Thursday).

Guest hosts[]

WABC personality Mark Levin frequently filled in for Hannity during the host's absence until Levin obtained his own syndicated program.[37] Guest hosts have included Barry Farber, Mike Gallagher, Curtis Sliwa, Kirby Wilbur, Dennis Miller, and Mark Simone.

Guests on his show[]

The frequent guests on his radio show included John McCain,[38] Rudy Giuliani,[39] Mike Huckabee,[40] Newt Gingrich,[41] Mitt Romney,[42] Bobby Jindal,[43] Fred Thompson[44] and other politicians from both sides of the political aisle.

Book club[]

The Hannity show also has a book club with author interviews and discussions on topics. More recent books have included Strategery by Bill Sammon and Fight Back by G. Gordon Liddy. Hannity has also authored three New York Times bestsellers on politics and current events.[45]

Show website[]

Hannity's website offers subscribers to the "Hannity Insider" subscription service live and recorded streaming audio of the program, available for download to an iPod or other MP3 player. In addition, the program was added to the Armed Forces Radio Network in December 2005.[46] Audio streams of The Sean Hannity Show average more than 190,000 subscribed listeners per month. There is also Hannidate, a chat room for conservative singles, both heterosexual and gay. The website also includes a forum to discuss political topics. Respectful conversation and debate is encouraged.[47]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "News Radio 810 and 103.1 WGY On-Air Schedule". wgy.iheart.com. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "Sean's Studio". The Sean Hannity Show. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  3. ^ "Sean Hannity Builds Project Studio". Mix Professional Audio and Music Production. December 6, 2004. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  4. ^ "The Sean Hannity Show". Premiere Networks. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  5. ^ "Sirius XM Patriot Shows". Sirius XM Radio. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  6. ^ AFN 360 information channel
  7. ^ "The Top Talk Radio Audiences". Talkers Magazine. November 2008. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
  8. ^ Caine, Áine. "Inside the Career of Fox News Host Sean Hannity, who was once fired from a college radio station and now advises Trump". BusinessInsider.com. Insider, Inc. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  9. ^ "The Sean Hannity Show". wsbradio.com. Cox Media Group. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  10. ^ "The Sean Hannity Show". kfyi.iheart.com. IHeartRadio, Inc. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  11. ^ "The Sean Hannity Show". wokv.com. Cox Media Group. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  12. ^ "WDTK The Patriot". patriotdetroit.com. WDTK-AM and Salem Interactive Media. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  13. ^ "WCBM New Schedule". wcbm.com. WCBM-AM. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  14. ^ "55 KRC live on air schedule". 55krc.iheart.com. IHeart Media, Inc. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  15. ^ Bachman, Katy. "Sean Hannity Gets $100 Million Deal". huffpost.com. The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  16. ^ Shugerman, Emily (October 11, 2017). "Sean Hannity 'called AIDS a gay disease' and compared homosexuality to 'playing in a sewer'". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  17. ^ Poor, Jeff. "Sean Hannity credits Huntsville for being his first 'big break' — 'My first paid radio gig'". yellowhammernews.com. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  18. ^ "Sean Hannity | KFAY-AM". newstalk1030.com. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
  19. ^ "The Sean Hannity Show". PremiereNetworks.com. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  20. ^ "Sean Hannity | KGFW-AM". KGFW.com. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  21. ^ Santiago, Ellyn. "Sean Hannity Net Worth: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Heavy, Inc. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  22. ^ "Sean Hannity is talking new contract". nydailynews.com. The New York Daily News. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  23. ^ Katy Bachman (May 25, 2011). "Sean Hannity Gets $100 Million Deal". The Huffington Post. MediaWeek. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  24. ^ Hannity, Sean. "Sean Hannity: Mexico must be held accountable for the immigration crisis, but securing our border can't wait". FoxNews.com. Fox News Network, LLC. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  25. ^ "The Document Sean Hannity Doesn't Want You To Read". AmericanProgress.org. Center For American Progress. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  26. ^ Is the John Birch Society "Liberal"? . February 1, 2007
  27. ^ "Sean Hannity-Man on the Street Thursday [4th of July] Part 1". YouTube.com. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  28. ^ "Elisha Krauss". DailyWire.com. The Daily Wire. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  29. ^ "WATCH: Lynda Accepts 2019 Gracie Award for Best Radio Producer". Hannity.com. IHeartMedia, Inc. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  30. ^ Hannity, Sean (2002). Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
  31. ^ Lowry, Brian. "KABC Host Says Sean Hannity Has 'Lost His Mind'". Variety.com. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  32. ^ Bodenner, Chris. "Songs of Complicated Patriotism". theatlantic.com. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  33. ^ Pagel, Christoph. "Sean Hannity's Apocalyptic Stimulus Plan Montage (VIDEO)". huffpost.com. The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  34. ^ Carney, Steve. "Sean Hannity Rushes In". LATimes.com. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  35. ^ Levine, Jon. "Hannity opens hotline for people to yell at him". aol.com. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  36. ^ Gough, Paul J. "Sean Hannity prepares to fly solo on Fox". HollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  37. ^ "Mark Levin | KSFO-AM". KSFO.com. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  38. ^ "John McCain on the Sean Hannity Show". YouTube.com. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  39. ^ Roth, Richard. "Giuliani's interview with Hannity was more strategic than you think. But here's where he fumbled". CNBC.com. CNBC, LLC. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  40. ^ Greenspan, Gavi. "Mike Huckabee on Hannity: Summit a 'Matter of Self-Preservation for Kim'". CNSNews.com. CNS News.com. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  41. ^ Croucher, Shane. "NEWT GINGRICH TELLS SEAN HANNITY TWO WORDS WILL DEFINE THE 2018 MIDTERMS". Newsweek.com. Newsweek. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  42. ^ Negrin, Matt. "Mitt Romney Defends His Wright Quote: 'I Stand by What I Said, Whatever It Was'". ABCNews.go.com. ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  43. ^ James, Brendan. "Sean Hannity and the Changing Face of the GOP". Newsweek.com. Newsweek. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  44. ^ "Fred Thompson Sits Down with 'Hannity & Colmes'". FoxNews.com. Fox News Network, LLC. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  45. ^ "Sean Hannity Named Among 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media by The Hollywood Reporter". PremiereNetworks.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  46. ^ Joyner, James. "Armed Forces Radio to Air Sean Hannity Show". OutsidetheBeltway.com. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  47. ^ Hannidate website Archived September 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

External links[]

Retrieved from ""